Bees at a Watering Hole

Did you know that bees drink water? Below are some Western Honeybees slurping up some water from a puddle that frequently forms in one of the lower areas of the Sourland Mountain Preserve. 

You might think that they can get all the water they need from nectar, which is basically just sugary water. But that's not really the case; they actually need more water than that. Social bees like the honeybees can also carry water back home, either for non-foraging bees to consume or to air condition their nest.

I've heard of people who try and provide a water source for bees, maybe using a pan with marbles in it and water a little below the tops of the marbles. I actually tried that once when I was still working and when I came home most of the marbles had been knocked out of the pan. (I'm sure an animal much larger than bees did that, probably accidentally. My leading suspects were squirrels, stray cats, or birds.)

Did you know that bees use morning dew as a water source? If you're using pesticides on your lawn, you're probably poisoning some of the local bees (and other beneficial insects).

July 15, 2022 at Sourland Mountain Preserve
Photo 221319364, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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